Have people been travelling in Egypt after March 2011? What's the situation like over there? The election is also happening at the end of November. Should I wait until after the election to book my tour? I'm planning to visit early 2012.

This question is closed because its answers may no longer represent the current state of affairs; they may have been valid in the past, but they should not be relied on for accuracy in the present.
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mindcorrosive♦Feb 11 '14 at 2:03

5 Answers
5

Egypt, as like much of North Africa and parts of the Middle East, is volatile.

The State Department of the US has a comprehensive website detailing the latest information on the country. It points out that while crime is relatively low, there has of course been several incidents of protests, riots and political upheaval over the past year.

In the end, it is always going to be a gut feel thing. Many tour companies are offering 2 for 1 deals to get people to return to Egypt. People point out that apart from an unfortunate incident with an American Reporter, the violence has largely not targeted foreigners.

Anecdotal information from friends who have been since the uprising say that they felt entirely safe. Tour companies are going to have the latest information and will know which areas to avoid.

The election may change things dramatically, but given it looks to be the first 'free' elections in decades, it may be a good thing, with celebrations rather than protests. If you're not going anyway until 2012, perhaps wait. I booked a tour over Christmas 4 years ago with 2 weeks notice, and given the situation, you shouldn't have a problem finding a tour or flights around then.

In the end, as the state department website says, "There is nobody better at protecting you than yourself.". Be careful, keep informed, be safe.

I just heard yesterday that it's an amzing time to visit Egypt right now while all the tourists are away.

A young Australian couple passing through my hostel were there recently and reported only about three other people were at the pyramids while they were visiting!

They felt very safe and highly recommended it. I was so impressed with their story that I immediately started figuring out what set of borders I would need to cross to get there via an overland route on my current trip.

Elsewhere I heard for safety to stay away from the main square in Cairo where protests were focussed and stay away from the vicinity of voting stations if you're there while the elections are underway.

If it were up to me and the cost of the transport was not too high I would take the gamble and book the flight (etc) based on the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wouldn't book anything else in advance since everybody in tourism in Egypt right now has practically no customers and nothing will be booked out.

Tourists are not away anymore! Occupancy rate in most of hotels are more than 70%.
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YousfOct 5 '11 at 9:33

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@Yousf please stop assuming things, hotels are empty in Egypt and many have gone out of business. If it was 70% I wouldn't be traveling around the world looking for business to do, I'd be at home taking care of my hotel which is now closed thanks to the ignorance and illiteracy of Egyptians that have overthrown the best government they ever had.
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mskNov 22 '11 at 18:52

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This is Ahram, do you know who they are? this is the government's newspaper (which does not even mention any 100% anywhere). Real occupancy is less than 20% for 2011. Our high season is 5 months sep.-feb. You can't talk about one week of local tourism and say it has any relation to occupancy rates, this is one week that is always 100% every year (Egyptians only). And by the way there are no small hotels/hostels in the Red Sea those exist only in South Sinai between Dahab & Taba
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mskNov 29 '11 at 23:51

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and no one will hear of them if they close or open they don't count because they are not members of the Hotels Chamber nor are they officially registered as hotels, two Hiltons have closed and their owner is sitting next to me furious right now
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mskNov 29 '11 at 23:52

4

Hotels will continue to close one after the other regardless of occupancy because selling rooms at 20% of their price is not going to provide enough cash flow to pay a hotel's salaries. you see everything as very easy because you only see the surface, you need to look deeper before you give information to people who need it, which is not your first time. (you are not supposed to answer everything Yousf, only what you know about)
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mskNov 30 '11 at 0:00

I visited Egypt in August of this year, and although I didn't stay in Cairo (I stayed in Sharm El Sheikh), I never once felt threatened.

I partook in many activities whilst there, visiting the Bedouin, travelling to the pyramids, and quad biking in the desert, with 2 children.

While Sharm would tend to cater much more to the tourist, on a professional level I have also visited Cairo a number of times since the trouble last year due to work commitments - and I am still here to write this.

The best tip I can give you, is always keep your wits about you, as in any country.

How reduced do you find the tourist crowds to be?
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hippietrailOct 7 '11 at 11:07

I haven't visited Sharm El Sheikh before, however the hotel I stayed in was full, evidenced by the fact I offered to pay well over the odds for a late check-out, reception simply told me they didn't have the available space.
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Mick WalkerOct 10 '11 at 13:02

1

There are 5 or 6 hotels in Sharm el Sheikh that have made arrangements with tour operators and sold all their rooms at 12 USD a night just to keep their hotels running and pay their salaries, however a big number of hotels have closed, and the rest are generally empty. As to the city It currently ranges between 7% to 15% occupancy.
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mskNov 22 '11 at 19:02

No, I don't think so. I was planning a trip to Egypt a year ago (it was quite a tense period then as well) but decided to go to India this year instead. It was also suppose to be a backpacking trip and was planning to go solo. I joined all the travel forums I could think of and members there (both, traveler and residents of Egypt) told me that I have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you won't wander off to some obscure places and will mostly be visiting monuments and famous sights.

The only thing that could ruin your trip is that if the government introduces police curfew, you would have to get to your hotel/hostel/hut by then. It is quite unlikely that the curfew would last more than a week. Besides, curfews so far were only from 2 to 7 AM and that's usually the time when you would sleep anyway.

I know it's a different period but some of the answers on a similar question are going to be relevant. I've re-read my answer there and feel it is just as suitable now as it was then. Therefore I'll quote:

Egypt, as like much of North Africa and parts of the Middle East, is
volatile.

The State Department of the US has a comprehensive website detailing
the latest information on the country. It points out that while crime
is relatively low, there has of course been several incidents of
protests, riots and political upheaval over the past year.

In the end, it is always going to be a gut feel thing. Many tour
companies are offering 2 for 1 deals to get people to return to Egypt.
People point out that apart from an unfortunate incident with an American reporter, the violence has largely not targeted foreigners.

Anecdotal information from friends who have been since the uprising
say that they felt entirely safe. Tour companies are going to have the
latest information and will know which areas to avoid.

The election may change things dramatically, but given it looks to be
the first 'free' elections in decades, it may be a good thing, with
celebrations rather than protests. If you're not going anyway until
2012, perhaps wait. I booked a tour over Christmas 4 years ago with 2
weeks notice, and given the situation, you shouldn't have a problem
finding a tour or flights around then.

In the end, as the state department website says, "There is nobody
better at protecting you than yourself.". Be careful, keep informed,
be safe.